Vahn Lackey Gaining Momentum For Twins With Third Overall Pick

[Cody Christie]

The picture at the top of the MLB Draft is becoming clearer, and all signs point toward the Minnesota Twins focusing heavily on Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey with the third overall pick. According to Baseball America, “Minnesota has had a lot of high-level decision makers scouting Vahn Lackey this spring.”

That report lines up with how the draft board appears to be developing. UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky has looked like the favorite to land with the Chicago White Sox at first overall for much of the year. He entered the spring as a strong candidate for the top pick and has only strengthened that case with his performance this season.

The second pick belongs to the Tampa Bay Rays, and they have consistently been connected to prep shortstop Grady Emerson throughout the draft cycle. There is still a chance Tampa Bay pivots to Lackey if he remains available, but many recent mock drafts have Emerson heading to the Rays at number two overall.

If the board falls that way, Lackey could slide directly into Minnesota’s lap. The appeal is easy to understand.

At Georgia Tech, Lackey is continuing a strong tradition of first-round catching talent, including Jason Varitek, Matt Wieters, Joey Bart, and Kevin Parada. He has been one of the best offensive catchers in college baseball this spring while also showing the athleticism teams covet behind the plate.

Through his first 47 games, Lackey is slashing .371/.491/.682 with a 1.173 OPS, 12 home runs, and nine stolen bases. That combination of impact offense and athletic ability has helped push him into the upper tier of this draft class.

His rise has not been a traditional one. Lackey was a late bloomer in high school and did not receive Division I offers until his senior year. Even in college, his development trajectory has continued to trend upward as he has added polish to both sides of his game.

Defensively, scouts believe there is still more room for growth. Lackey is agile behind the plate and moves well for the position, giving evaluators confidence that he can become a dependable receiver and blocker as he improves his consistency and focus. His arm strength and accuracy already stand out as major assets.

For the Twins, that profile makes plenty of sense. The organization has leaned toward polished college talent in recent drafts, especially players with a blend of upside and relatively high floors, including Brooks Lee, Kaelen Culpepper, and Marek Houston. Catchers with Lackey’s offensive ceiling and athletic traits are difficult to find, and Minnesota may view him as one of the safer premium bats near the top of the board.

If the Twins ultimately go in another direction, college pitcher Jackson Flora and prep shortstop Jacob Lombard appear to be among the other realistic options tied to the third pick.

Still, as the draft draws closer, the momentum around Lackey continues to build. Unless something changes in the first two selections, the Twins may soon find themselves adding another cornerstone talent to the organization, and one who could eventually become the long-term answer behind the plate.

View full rumor

[Dman]

I'm generally not one to advocate for taking a catcher high, but that is generally because it is hard to find one worth taking that high.  It takes a Joe Mauer type of great defense, great offense to go there and I think Lackey has that.  This type of catcher doesn't come around often so I'd love that pick if they make it.

Flora seems to be right there at number 4 and Lombard despite some swing and miss still seems to hanging top 5 on boards.  Lot's of things the Twins could do, but to me catcher is a need that fits where they are picking.  They have taken shortstops the last three drafts.  I think catcher makes sense at three, but we'll see.

[nicksaviking]

23 minutes ago, Cody Christie said:

, including Jason Varitek, Matt Wieters, Joey Bart, and Kevin Parada. He has been one of the best offensive catchers in college baseball this spring while also showing the athleticism teams covet behind the plate.

 

I mean, I was interested....

lol

[DataNerd]

I'm guessing they take whichever of the top 3 are available.  Lombard has been getting some buzz for both the Twins and Rays; tons of upside and he would save a significant amount to play around with day 1.

[Rosterman]

They have a solid two to choose from once the first two are picked. Next stop would be 43rd, I believe. But still two more picks in the Top 100.

[Cory Engelhardt]

I like Flora, but if Cam Flukey is truly healthy I like him more. Still lots of time for the draft board to play out. 

But yeah, I'm all in for Lackey or Emerson or Cholowsky at 3 as of right now.

[twinstalker]

Rarely is a pitcher less risky than a position player at #3, but that's what we've got.  Lackey is a good college player who will follow his former GT catchers into overrated oblivion.

[TNtwins85]

14 hours ago, DataNerd said:

I'm guessing they take whichever of the top 3 are available.  Lombard has been getting some buzz for both the Twins and Rays; tons of upside and he would save a significant amount to play around with day 1.

I like Lombard but not at 3. I know prospects are prospects but at number 3 you need a guy who is rock solid. Lombard seems too much like a Royce Lewis. I wasn’t in when he was a HS prospect either. Guys with questions about their hit tool are not guys you take top 3. Or number one in Lewis’ case. If you’re the Twins you’re hoping Cholowsky or Emerson drops to you at 3 and you’re perfectly content taking Lackey or Flora at 3. Anybody else is simply out of the question really. The hit tool is your bedrock that you start from and hope for power and all the other things. Lewis is exhibit one of why you don’t do it the other way.

[HrbieFan]

We need impact arms and bats with gloves that play. Flora would be my choice, unless Tampa works a deal with someone not mentioned. That could be what the Twins are doing with Lackey, save some money for their next couple to go over slot 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Varite

8 hours ago, twinstalker said:

Rarely is a pitcher less risky than a position player at #3, but that's what we've got.  Lackey is a good college player who will follow his former GT catchers into overrated oblivion.

Varitek and Wieters both had good solid hitting catching careers. I don't know how to rate their catching acumen or  defense.

[mike8791]

Normally, teams take the best player available in the first round.  Lackey very well might be that player at #3.  But isn't that overlooking Tait?  Impossible to predict his major league future, but all reports I've read indicate he has the offense/defense chops to replace Jeffers, if not next year, certainly in 2028(  at least that's the probable reason they signed Caratini to a 2 year contract).  So would a Lackey pick fill a real need or would it be a move to enhance an already strong position?

I would hope  they try to fill a more immediate need, e.g., a future SS with both high offensive and defensive potential, a IB or 3B who looks like a badly-needed cleanup hitter or 100mph flamethrower who could slot in as atop-of-rotation arm or a Duran-like closer?   

Tough decision.  A lot depends on how they view Tate's future - as a potential all star catcher or an average regular.  The choice of Lackey would seem to indicate their lack of trust in Tait.  As we have seen so many times with this FO, heralded rookies have stumbled badly.  Not one All Star has emerged under Falvey's regime.  This is a key time for Zoll and the entire Twins' organization to get it right.  After all, hopefully, this will be the highest pick the Twins will see in the foreseeable future.

 

[saviking]

I hooe Tampa takes Emerson because I really don't want a high school kid. We need help sooner than that .. 

[tony&rodney]

I'm going to trust that the scouts watching the players in games right now have a much better idea of who to draft than the writers and fans. I have not personally seen any of these guys play, only the videos and reports. 

Roch Cholowsky has had a great season to follow up on his past performances. Still, I have at least a small concern about Cholowsky's foot speed translating smoothly to MLB.

I have heard from people in Miami that Lombard has changed quite a bit, in a positive way, since last summer. Playing in South Florida, Lombard repeatedly faces top level competition. He is in the conversation for the Twins.

Grady Emerson, by contrast, is a little bit of a mystery this season despite his outstanding reports from last summer. He has all the tools reportedly and has a bright future but currently does not play against top level arms/teams on a consistent basis.

The idea of a Paul Skenes type fronting the Twins rotation sounds great, but I'm not seeing the front office going for Flora or Flukey.

Every pick is a gamble in the MLB draft. Vahn is athletic and is a good choice as are several others players. Best player available remains my choice. 

[tony&rodney]

17 minutes ago, mike8791 said:

Tough decision.  A lot depends on how they view Tate's future - as a potential all star catcher or an average regular.  The choice of Lackey would seem to indicate their lack of trust in Tait.  As we have seen so many times with this FO, heralded rookies have stumbled badly.  Not one All Star has emerged under Falvey's regime.  This is a key time for Zoll and the entire Twins' organization to get it right.  After all, hopefully, this will be the highest pick the Twins will see in the foreseeable future.

It is a tough decision, for sure.

Teams never make a draft decision based on their current roster. Tait is in A+ ball and learning. He still has two years of minor league games before he makes it to Target Field. Best case scenario, if the Twins pick Vahn, is that the Twins have two All Star catchers who rotate between DH and catcher. There is no such thing as too many good players. The Dodgers are not complaining about having Will Smith and Rushing.

Totally agree that this draft is important for the Twins because they need talent. We do not know who specifically makes the final decision. Do we? Perhaps Falvey overruled his scouts when he took Royce Lewis over Hunter Greene.

All we can do is hope for the best. I can still remember my elation when the Twins took Mauer ahead of Prior. I had seen Mauer play several sports and felt his athleticism put him above all others. Prior was the consensus choice to go first but the Twins got it right. The team needs another get it right.